Worshiptainment: The Modern Church's Golden Calf

by Matthew Everhard

The Modern Church's Golden Calf is a hard-hitting look at the ungodly practice of mixing Christian worship services with the popular entertainment practices of the secular world.

In this book, Presbyterian pastor Matthew Everhard offers a sincere, heart-felt critique of the availing techniques that are all-too-common in our day such as using worship as a platform to build celebrity pastors, gain large followings, and entertain the people. Meanwhile, such churches given to these theatrics are jettisoning traditional worship, Biblical doctrine, and reverent attention to the True and Living God.

In this work, Everhard looks at common "worshiptainment" practices as it regards preaching, liturgy, music, the sacraments, and Christian leadership. All the while, Everhard argues that the church should return to the Regulative Principle of Worship, the Reformation-era ideal of only doing in worship what God specifically requires us to do in Holy Scripture.

Genres: Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian

182 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2024

Reviews

[Zack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smart, accessible, punchy, relatable, and clear, this is a fantastic entrée to the vast corpus of literature on Reformed worship. What’s the main point? Genuinely Christian worship aims to be biblically edifying rather than banally entertaining. The chapter on leaders at the end is an especially unique and valuable contribution.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Worshiptainment" by Matthew Everhard is a clear call to Christians to evaluate their weekly gathering and hold it up against the teachings of the Bible. Everhard efficiently and effortlessly calls the reader's attention to a myriad of bizarre and even blasphemous examples of worshiptainment (his new word) occurring in evangelical churches. The reader should be left convicted, and Everhard has provided plenty of recommendations on how to more closely align the weekly gathering with what Scripture requires (Regulative Principle).

My critiques of the book are minimal, but worth noting. First, while Everhard is mostly generous to churches that would not fit his understanding of the Regulative Principle, there are a few moments of snarkiness. If I'm honest, they are nothing worse than I myself can be guilty of. (I must admit I did roll my eyes when the boogeyman of "Big Eva" was written sans definition.) However, it is noted that one of the blurbs supporting the book is from the online tabloid Protestia. I would call Protestia a bottom-of-the-barrel Internet discernment blog with the substantial purpose of tearing down reasonably conservative and evangelical pastors. Pastors whom I may have disagreements with, but nothing deserving of the scorn and arrogance of Protestia. My opinion of this discernment blog is so low I can't overlook it as a negative for the book.

The second critique may be a bit unfair. Perhaps it's because I'm simply looking for a book Everhard never intended to write. I would consider my theology Reformed Baptist, though I'm not angry about it. So I found much profitable insight from Everhard's use of Reformed history and the Westminster Confession of Faith. However, this book is so focused on using Reformed doctrine and documents, it seems the book may be preaching to the choir, and may not be as persuasive for the audience who needs to hear this message the most. Likely, most people who would pick up this book are already mostly in line with the author. His writing and examples probably won't say too much new. If we really want to see a change in American evangelical churches, a book with more encouragement and less WCF may nourish the nutrient-starved soil more. But again, maybe desiring something to reach lay level folks in generic seeker-sensitive megachurches was just a different goal than what Everhard had in mind.

I know I spent a lot of time on those two critiques, but the book was really very good. It is convicting and I so appreciate Everhard's pastoral approach to encouraging Christians to find ways to prod along their churches to a more reverent, meaningful, and biblical worship service.

[Cole Sorensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping there would be a bit more depth and theological foundation provided for the kind of worship service Erverhard is advocating for here. There was some of that, and I mostly agree with his point of view in this book. But it feels like the sort of book that will just end up cementing both sides of the "worship wars" in what they already think and believe. I thought his use of the most outrageous examples of "worshiptainment" was mostly unhelpful (churches putting on Star Wars themed nativity plays, depicting Jesus as Batman on the cross in an Easter production, etc) as no one I know personally, even the most contemporary, production-minded church-goer in my circles would ever advocate for those kinds of things. Again, it just felt like it was meant to rile up both sides. Never a very convincing strategy to show the weakest examples of your opponents and then argue against that. Anyway, it was nonetheless a worthwhile quick read, and there was still plenty of thought provoking material to digest. It was a helpful guide to reflecting on the "why" of worship practices in my own life.

[Andi Heminger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic. Probably the best book I’ve read in a little while. Matthew Everhard lovingly but firmly lays out the very real concerns with the modern church and urges the church to return to the regulative principle of worship. Everhard does show a little snarkiness at times that I personally enjoyed, but I do think those outside of the reformed camp could be turned off to that a bit (which unfortunately is probably more of his target audience). However, I think this book is MUCH needed and his writing is encouraging and easy to read. I think every Christian should read this book - especially those in leadership.

[Jose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook. This is the second book by Pastor Everhard that I have read or listened to and it was great. I really appreciated how Pastor Everhard calls out the current and sad state of Christian worship. Our God deserves our love, respect, loyalty, and worship. The man focused entertainment, that has replaced the God focused worship we are commanded to give, is uninspiring and devoid of the awe and glory we should have for The Lord.

I hope everyone gets something from this book and your desire to glorify God is rekindled.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will do my best to review this for what it is, rather than what it isn't. I'll start by saying that I do agree foundationally with Dr. Everhard's position that the influence of the entertainment industries has been poisonous for the church. He does clearly state early on and throughout that his stance is a distinctly Reformed Presbyterian one (which mine is not), and that he doesn't expect readers to necessarily share that. That said, his arguments lead to distinctly (though not always exclusively) Reformed solutions. As such, I took much of this with a grain of salt, though in one chapter, I did a lot of salting.

Everhard approaches the issue of worshiptainment directly and resolutely, as he should. My biggest critique of this, though, is that he (in one case admittedly) often uses caricatures, and in virtually all cases, uses the most extreme form of this enemy, real or fabricated. My issue with this is that, as a member of a church in-between Reformed and megachurch style and liturgy, I felt that a lot of this didn't apply to my situation or likely that of many. In the same way, I've had a hard time trying to discern where the line is (in general and for Everhard specifically). Everhard condemns repeatedly elements like drum kits, high-tech lighting, and projector screens (and fog machines, which I have told my wife that if our church uses fog machines, we're leaving immediately--that is a line for me). I understand how they CAN be used in a distracting or entertaining way, but I disagree with their inherent evil, even in a church setting. Everhard defines worshiptainment as "the combination of some aspects of worship along with heavy doses of entertainment." Since his examples are exclusively those that hardly resemble (in thought, word, or deed) a church at all to begin with, my concept of this line never got any clearer, especially since he seems to flip-flop on whether humor or anecdotes have any place in a sermon. Again, to me, these elements aren't bad themselves, but they are often used as crutches or as a vain attempt to stay relevant, even in strong, Gospel-preaching churches. Everhard asserts that it's worship or 'tainment, and one replaces the other. I see them mixed frequently. That doesn't justify it, but it does make it hard for me to grasp Everhard's stance on a church like mine.

This brings me to my next gripe: argumentation. While Dr. Everhard does use Scripture to support many of his stances (in a few cases, abundantly), there are weak spots. In some cases, he rattles off a myriad of verses for the reader to look up for themselves. Not exactly a problem, per se, and I won't call being directed to Scripture and inconvenience. However, in the instance I did take the time to look up 2-3 of the many more verses listed, it was as if he'd provided an index of every single time a word or phrase was used in Scripture, rather than a single strong verse in context. This happened in a couple of places.

In other places, he didn't provide any reference at all, instead just his conjecture, which I often disagreed with (He seems to have a personal vendetta against high school drama clubs. At least two negative comments there--I don't know why). In yet others he referred to the Westminster Catechism (not a problem in its own right) where I would have preferred a solid Scrupture reference.

My last gripe is probably the one that caused me the most grief, even if it isn't the most important: organization. I had a really tough time with a couple of early chapters (2-4) for reasons I identified above, but when I got to chapter 5, things started to click a little better. I realized that chapter 5 would be more effective (and as a result, 2-4) if it was came in tandem with (or as a part of) chapter 2. Chapter 2 contrasts a Batman crucifixion on Easter with the Reformed liturgy (inspired by the Regulative Principle, which he explains). What it doesn't do is properly contextualize what entertainment-heavy churches are missing and why. It posits that crucifying Batman on Easter Sunday is blasphemy (agreed), and that God has given us direction for how to properly worship Him. All well and good. Chapters 3 and 4 (as well as 6 and 7) break down specific problematic elements of worshiptainment (preaching, music, Sacraments, and pastor-as-influencer). Chapter 5 focuses on liturgy, which probably isn't the first thing people think about when considering what's wrong with megachurches (my mind goes to the concert-style environment and feel-good-spiritual-guru-nonsense, and I'm a recovering Lutheran!). I understand Everhard's thinking in ordering as he did, but my reading would have been better served had he flowed directly from this stylistic contrast to the foundation for why (Reformed) liturgical services exist the way they do. Would have saved me a lot of frustration, even though my other criticisms of vagueness would persist.

In the end, Dr. Everhard has a heart to see sick churches and their members draw closer to God and worship Him as He wills, not as we will. I can and do appreciate that mission. However, I really don't know who this book is for. The Reformed don't need it, those drawn to a crucified Batman would be much better served by a direct injection of Scripture (which would benefit all of us, of course) (I would say the caveat would be a splinter small group considering leaving or reforming their megachurch, though this is not something I've heard of), and people like me aren't provided quite enough practical application or clarity to do more than pray on it and do more research.

[Todd Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the simplest of terms, this book addresses the right questions and aims at the guilty parties. But at times, it’s a notch snobby.

Everhard pushes “decent and in order” farther than the Bible—in order to read “traditional” (his word, not mine) high-church Presbyterian liturgy into the text of Scripture. While it may be a good idea, you simply cannot mandate something the Bible doesn’t command. In his defense, he does add, “Of course there is great freedom in Reformed churches, as the NT does not prescribe a particular order of worship anywhere.” And yet, he comes across pretty firm on his own church’s order (again, Presbyterian). I’m certainly not sure he’d completely love ours (Baptist). I do wholeheartedly agree that worship should be organized and well-thought out (Biblically). However, since there was no Biblical order precisely as he recommended, he spent far more time in historical practices. For a guy that pushed hard for the preaching of the Bible (and rightly so), this was a little bit of a disappointment.

Liturgy can become legal (I've seen it)—and, no doubt, has in some places. If we believe the Scripture is sufficient, we must be resigned to the fact that church services will look different in different places—but as long as the Biblical requirements for NT worship are included, it is accepted by God. There’s simply zero indication that Jesus and the apostles followed such a strict liturgy. In fact, the lack of a strict order seems to have been one of the things that made the religious leaders angry.

Also—his visual image of baptism would be so much better if he practiced immersion and not pouring. And it would have the added benefit of being Biblical.

All that said, I do greatly appreciate the call to at least take a moment and reflect on the current "rock star worship" that is so common nowadays. This book is a call to get back to worship that honors God and for that reason, I do highly recommend it.

[Ryan Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very accessible introduction to the regulative worship principle.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everhard’s books are always a blessing. This is well articulated and timely. Highly recommend!

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worshiptainment, is a timely book for our cultural moment that seeks to recover a strong, biblical, and orthodox theology of worship, all through the simple question, “why?” Though, despite the strength in examining our motives for worship, the book suffers from snarky comments that are unnecessary.

Everhard examines the state of worship in the church, and provides a pathway forward, offering guidance by looking to the past. He asks the simple question, “why,” when it comes to how we approach preaching, music, and the sacraments, and unmasks the reality that often churches are driven to entertain rather than to worship. He shows how we have adopted cultural aspects with no real reasoning beyond remaining culturally relevant, and how we run the risk of descending into theological chaos if we don’t guard our services and continue to ask, “why are we doing this?”

Perhaps the greatest strength of the book, is that Everhard not only offers these critiques, but also solutions throughout. For example, when tackling the tricky topic of musical genre and performative tendencies we have in many churches, he suggests a return to the historical practise of psalm singing, a practise abandoned by many because of how ‘uncool’, and ‘non entertaining’ it is.

Though, despite these strengths, the book is a little rough around the edges. Unfortunately, Everhard can come across as somewhat snarky when dealing with traditions other than the reformed. As the book progresses, it becomes apparent that he is not seeking to combat ‘worshiptainment’ alone, but also any form of worship that exists outside the reformed stream. This sadly comes across as bitter, and frustrated at points, whereby he moves beyond theological reasons, and descends into anti-leftist political narrative. At points these criticisms are valid, but have nothing to do with the premise of the book.

In conclusion: a worth-while read, but not without its flaws.

Post script, lest you think I write these critiques as a leftist non reformed writer who is feeling personally attacked: I am not on the political left, and am in ministry within the reformed tradition.

[Eric Echols · Rating 5 out of 5]

A timely & necessary wake-up call

Worshiptainment is a timely and necessary wake-up call for the modern church. Matthew unapologetic calls the church to embrace the regulative principle of worship; anchoring our worship in God’s Word and ensuring that Christ remains the center of our worship rather than the whims of human creativity.

This book doesn’t just critique; it equips. Pastors, worship leaders, and congregants alike will benefit from its practical guidance on recalibrating worship practices to align with Scripture. It encourages churches to prioritize simplicity, reverence, and gospel clarity, reminding us that the power of worship lies not in the lights and sound but in proclaiming the greatness of our Savior.

If you’re concerned about the direction of worship in today’s church, Worshiptainment is a must-read. It offers both a diagnosis of the problem and a hopeful vision for a Christ-centered future where God’s people gather to worship Him faithfully, not for entertainment, but for His glory.

[Quentin Begley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a much needed critique of the modern church’s worship practices. So much of what is commonplace today is done without asking “why?” By and large we have completely made up much of the way we worship God solely on preferences, ours or the unbelievers’, rather than on what God has commanded. Everhard articulates and defends the Regulative Principle well, calling us to reform our worship according to God’s Word.

Pastors, especially Reformed pastors would do well to read this book and begin to implement some of what Everhard is presenting. Most needed is the retrieval of singing the Psalms. This is the practice of the early church (not to mention the old covenant church) and was distinctive of the Reformed churches until just 100 years ago. It is also affirmed in the Westminster Confession as a command of God.

If we take worship seriously, not only will we begin to see revival in our world, but we will also be pleasing our Heavenly Father.

[Josh Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book and impressively well put together for the self-published route.

I found this book through Everhard’s YouTube channel, which I’m assuming many of its initial readers will, and I’m so glad I picked it up.

Coming from a more evangelical/non-denominational background, the churches I have experienced, served under, and led, have all to some extent been to at-fault with the majority of the valid criticisms of modern worship culture laid out in this book.

However, thankfully I’m a part of a gospel-centered church that reflects many of the helpful prescriptions laid out by Pastor Everhard.

Modern worship has a problem. Many broken pastors are leading it. What is the solution?

I think this book offers many solutions, the primary being: to glorify God and worship him in accordance with what he has prescribed in scripture.

Great advice and a needed anecdote.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having recently completed "Worshiptainment: The Modern Church’s Golden Calf" by Dr. Matthew Everhard, I was struck by the author's poignant question: has the modern church been reduced to a concert followed by a TED talk? This is a pressing concern that warrants consideration from evangelical, Bible-believing Christians. Dr. Everhard's Reformed Presbyterian perspective informs his writing, but the biblical principles he references are broadly applicable to any New Testament church. He promotes a gentle and measured return to the Regulative Principle of Worship. I strongly recommend this book to regular churchgoers.

[Thaddeus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much needed book on the need to recover the Regulative Principles of Worship in modern Evangelical and Reformed churches. Many churches today don’t realize just how unbiblical and untethered from the historic worship of the church their liturgy (and lack thereof) actually is. Everhard’s book is a good introduction to the topic and worth reading.
My only critique would be that I wish he used some examples that weren’t quite as extreme - since I think there would be some that would read the extreme examples of Worshiptainment and think “well, my church isn’t THAT bad, so he just not be talking about me.” Overall though, it’s a well written book.

[Atticus Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my personal opinion, this is the best available book today about the issues related to contemporary worship, and Dr. Everhard does a far better job than I could ever do in highlighting the main issues. He uses scripture and its mandates to call us towards a reformation of worship towards the regulative principle rather than pragmatism! If you are a reformed leaning Christian or you are curious about reformed theology outside of TULIP, this is the book to start!

[Katrina Van Grouw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great short read about the problems of the American evangelical church and how we have strayed from what worship truly is, mandated in Scripture and the heart of our motives behind it as well. I liked the thoughtful examples behind he gave of churches gone wrong and how we need to get back to basics, also talking about how worship can easily slide into distortion if we aren’t vigilant about worshipping God and not ourselves on Sundays. Really solid read, I would recommend this.

[Joel Kessler · Rating 5 out of 5]

For years, I've been deeply frustrated by the worship in many churches and the worship culture that I've seen. I couldn't fully articulate why I was feeling this way or what about worship seemed off. This book helped me understand and verbalize what I was experiencing.

Matthew Everhard takes a humble yet convicted approach to addressing some of the major tumors in modern worship. This book does not take a condescending tone of judgement on other churches, but concern for the holiness of God, worshiping as God prescribes, and the fellowship of saints worshipping together. He does address specific worship situations and isn't afraid to call it idolatry, but does so in a pastoral way, calling for churches to faithfulness in their worship of God.

[Ben Hegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended! I've been watching Everhard for years on YouTube and would highly recommend his videos as well as this book. Absolutely excellent book. Totally agree with everything he said. The odd phrase is a bit American but I Googled them and figured it out. This book is an oasis in the midst of the madness that is most of the modern Church. Highly recommended!

[Cole Mire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the book. I also love the author. Having followed his YouTube channel for years, and it is my favorite channel, I knew the book was going to deliver. Great assessment of the failures of what we see in modern evangelicalism, and a much needed call back to the Reformed standard of expositional preaching, the regulative principle of worship, and the ordinary means of grace!

[Lina :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

This book got recommended to me by one of my closest friends, and maaaannn this was a good book! I loved that it didn’t just go into the issue with idolatry in the church, but Everhard gave solutions/replacement for the issue going on in modern churches. I can tell lots of research was done to write this book. Super interesting topic too, love love love

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Good

Good short read covering the essence and simplicity of reformed worship as a counter to the entertainment driven worship of much of today’s worship scene. Theologically informed yet much practical advice for pastor to congregant. Highly Recommended!

[Michael Facundo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Convicting, clear, theological, and, most importantly, pastoral. Matthew Everhard is clearly a rising prophetic voice in Evangelicalism. His wisdom and insight will be crucial in the days ahead. Great job, brother!

[Local · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was the nail in the coffin for my beliefs of how worship of God should be done. A month or so after I read this I stepped down from my role on my churches worship band and started attending a presbyterian church instead.

[Christopher Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biblically Sound Worship

This book gives biblical understanding of what pleases God in worship. I recommend this work to those tired of modern worship, but seeking truth. This brief book could change your world view.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Believer beware!

I live in the suburbs where most of the churches are as described in this wonderful book. It is so refreshing to read I’m not the only one who questioned these so called churches. Bravo Mr. Everhard!

[Joel Douhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro work into the regulative principle of worship, the chapters on liturgy and psalmody were well written and struck to the core of the issues found in many evangelical churches today.

[Adam Kareus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short and concise call for the regulative principle for our worship. It is a much need critique of modern church services and worship.

[Cera Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matthew Everhard’s writing is thought-provoking and convicting. I specifically enjoyed his discussion on Psalm-singing.

[Matt Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really helpful read.